The process of breeding, producing, and using dairy animals for the production of milk and other dairy products is known as dairy farming. Dairy cooperatives have provided rural families in Rajasthan with an organized network of milk sales, health services, and feed inputs as a result of the Jaipur area being purposefully chosen as Rajasthan's second-largest milk producer.
About 11 percent of the world's milk output comes from Rajasthan. The state mainly produces milk from cows and buffaloes. It is clear that more cattle are being used for dairying, and this is one business in the state that is thriving despite the general economic downturn. For millions of people, milk is the primary source of nutrient-rich food, and it is a suitable supply of animal protein in Rajasthan.
Key Features of Dairy Farming
Growing dairy farming supplies help present farmers in taking better care of cows and buffaloes. Numerous farmers operate a huge number of dairy farms, which sell dairy products to big businesses.
Operating a dairy farm that offers the maximum benefits to the final organization is the ideal strategy for the dairy farmer. It ought to be resilient to the effects of dairy farms.
Features of dairy farming as it is practiced across the world:
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It requires a lot of capital.
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On cattle breeding, healthcare, and veterinary services, particular attention is placed.
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Farming is a very labour-intensive industry.
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It requires meticulous attention when feeding and milking.
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It is primarily practiced close to urban and industrial centres.
The establishment of dairy farming businesses to process milk from dairy animals for human consumption places Rajasthan among the top 5 milk-producing states in the nation.
Advantages of Dairy Farming in Rajasthan
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The dairy industry involves raising more dairy animals with high milk yields to produce more milk. It is a scheme for long-term milk production from dairy cows and is an element of farming or animal husbandry.
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Many people place a lot of importance on dairy farming.
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Rajasthan is the second-largest producer of milk in India.
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Rajasthan is often ranked second for the availability of milk per person.
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Around the world, it is one of the most fascinating portions. The demand for milk will always increase and will rise steadily along with the population. So, you won't have to worry about dairy product promotion. Because it is a well-established company, you will be able to promote items easily.
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The economy mostly benefits from dairy farming in some communities, regions, and countries. The main benefit is that the rate at which milk is sold within the market has never gone down.
Scope of Dairy Market in Rajasthan
The agricultural state of Rajasthan has a strong potential for milk production. One of the largest farming sectors in India is dairy farming. There are several dairy farming loans available in India to help manage and properly run the dairy industry to increase the quality of dairy products.
Dairy cooperatives have given rural households a structured network for milk selling, in addition to providing health services and feed supplies. Cost is a key factor in illustrating a dairy farming system's economic feasibility. Providing an effective connection for milk price fixing is a crucial economic signal for milk producers, consumers, and policymakers.
Dairy products provide farmers in Rajasthan with 60 to 70 percent of the consumer price. Animal breeds like Tharparkar, Kankrej, and Rathi cattle are some of the originating breeds from Rajasthan.
Requirements of Dairy Farming in Rajasthan
To start your dairy farming business, you need certain components prior to its initiation:
Proper Shed and Housing:
Before bringing in cattle to be maintained, a property-covered space needs to be constructed in the countryside. A healthy, disease-free, and productive animal depends heavily on proper housing. You must provide your animal with the necessary area inside the house for optimum production.
Typically, each animal needs 80 square feet of open room and 40 square feet of space within the shed. For small-scale dairy production, you must guarantee the availability of 3000 square feet of land space for 20 animals. For medium-scale companies, space requirements range from 13,000 to 15,000 square feet.
Land:
Landowners are required to preserve cultivated areas or land used for cultivating crops used as cow feed. The number of cattle to be maintained will determine the choice of land. Usually, one acre of land is enough to support 7 to 10 cows.
Fodder and Water:
Both water and fodder are crucial for the appropriate nutrition of cattle because water promotes the growth of green fodder.
Breed Choice and Immunization:
Be sure to choose a decent breed of cow. Additionally, the caregiver of cows must adhere to a precise immunization schedule to manage infections and safeguard cows' health.
Dairy Breeds in Rajasthan
In Rajasthan, there are just four primary breeds of cows. These include the Malani breed from Tharparkar, the Rathi breed from Bikaner, the Kankrej breed of balmore, and the Nagauri breed from the Suhalak region of Nagaur.
Nagauri: This draught breed is exclusively utilized for farming, and it also has poor milk production potential. However, they do excellent work.
Kankrej: This breed was developed for both agricultural and milking purposes. Each day, the female can produce 10 liters of milk. But from what I've observed, they can produce 18 litres of milk with the best feeding techniques and careful breeding. The male animals were large and powerful and could do a lot of labour on hot days. They are extremely loyal to their humans and have enormous tusks that resemble horns.
Tharparkar: This milk breed is indigenous to Rajasthan and can be found in desert areas. With little feed consumption, they can produce a good volume of milk. Cows that can generate 15 liters of milk per day have been sighted. They are capable of withstanding Rajasthan's stifling summer.
Rathi: The breed is raised by the Raths of Rajasthan, and they can be seen there in both the sweltering summer heat of above 50°C and the freezing winter temperatures of 2°C. Their milk production is on par with that of the tharparkar breed, however, they are ordinary milkers. However, some effective milking cows can produce more milk with proper care and feeding.
Important Recommendations for Optimum Results
Sustainable management techniques that are advantageous for the animals from a social and economic viewpoint can be employed to have safe, high-quality milk from healthy dairy animals. Dairy producers can put the following steps into practice to get the desired results.
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Animal Welfare Effective healthcare systems can be used to take care of healthy dairy cows that provide milk.
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Milking Hygiene: Proper harvesting and storage practices are necessary to maintain milk under sanitary conditions. It's important to maintain some of the machinery that might be used to gather and store milk.
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Animals that need to be fed and watered must be provided with products of acceptable quality for nutrition (feed and water).
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Animal Welfare: Pets must be allowed to roam freely from thirst, malnutrition, discomfort, injuries, disease, pain, and fear.
